Half Ironman – BEYOND DEFEAT

RACE REPORT: 129 The King George Triathlon

Posted on September 9, 2016 by admin

Posted in All, Race Reports, Triathlon 1 Comment

The Lake George Triathlon Festival consists of an Olympic distance triathlon on Saturday and the Half Ironman distance on Sunday. You can do either one, or if you find yourself dissatisfied with a single day of racing you can do both and complete the ‘King George.’

We had to get up to Lake George on the Friday afternoon before the race. Dougie and I packed up the car and then hit El Paso for some lunch before taking off. One of the more challenging things when planning for back-to-back triathlons is what to bring. You need almost 2 of everything you normally need for a triathlon, which is a lot of stuff. Then throw in the variable of unknown weather and you really have your hands full.

We made it to Lake George in 4 hours and immediately hit race check in. There we met up with fellow Battalion teammates Amy and Dave. Once we had all of our stuff, 2 bibs, 2 timing chips, to swim caps… we went to the hotel to get organized before Abbe and Danika arrived.

Our meal that night took place on the water at Christie’s. Our shrimp scampi was pretty sub par, but it would do the trick.

RACE DAY ONE: OLYMPIC

Let’s just go over the distance for readers not familiar.

SWIM: 1.5k (0.9m)
BIKE: 40k (25m)
RUN: 10k (6.2m)

Doug and I quietly prepared in our hotel room as to not wake the wives. We ate peanut butter sandwiches before headed out. We rode our bikes the 1/2 a mile to transition, which was a great move. It was pretty chilly, 50 degrees, but it was a beautiful morning.

The vibe was pretty awesome and everyone was chatting.

We found Amy, Dave and Sally and just hung out by the water’s edge until showtime. We were Wave 3 as there were 2 waves of competing College athletes ahead of us. That would make for a very fun race in the end, seeing UCon and ‘Cuse jerseys competing and so forth.

Dougie and I found Victor (part of my Seven Samurai, but more on that later) and talked swim strategy. The water was 75 degrees (warmer than the air) and felt great. The gun went off and the wave of guys exploded into the water like a feeding frenzy. I plopped my head down and started my race.

I was very excited to be open water swimming in Lake George. It’s very clear and way cleaner than anything close by to NYC. I had not done much in he way of swim training all season, so I was just out for enjoyment and to hopefully not get my face smashed by another swimmer.

The sun started to rise over the eastern side of the mountains and it made for quite a beautiful swim. I had a little bit of contact but for the most part was able to do my own thing. It’s funny how much random stuff you think about when you are swimming.

Right before the finish you swim over these old train tracks, it’s way cool.

Back on dry land I ran into Doug in T1 as we were rack neighbors. I changed my tri top (Doug helped as it was stuck) and thew on a long sleeve cycling jersey.

It was cold for around 5 miles and then everything clicked in. The first portion of the course is on this bike path through the woods. It is heavily shaded and one car lane wide. It was pretty sick rolling 25MPH through the bends. I found myself imagining that I was on a speeder bike in Return of the Jedi. At one point I did have to yell at 2 guys who were riding side by side for a few minutes not allowing anyone to pass.

We hit a few big hills where I was screaming down the hill at high speed, it was fantastic. The uphills were nothing too challenging in my opinion.

I finished up the bike feeling pretty good, but ready to rock a 10k on foot. In T2 I ate one gel, washed it down with some water and took off.

The crowds were really thick and I saw my Samurai and their cheer squad.

The Seven Samurai are a group of triathletes I have been privately coaching this season. Rachel and Vic were also doing King George, Natalie, LVL and Erin were doing the Half Ironman the following day. They had a few others with them cheering and it was a solid crew.

The course was a double loop and at the top of the hill on mile one we entered the shaded bike path. I had just passed Vic who was looking strong. Then, there was an arrow to head into the woods on a trail! It was awesome, very Last of the Mohicans and there was even a fallen tree you had to jump over. You then emerge like a bat out of hell onto a field. Wow it was fun.

We then entered a school parking lot and I found Abbe and Danika cheering us on. My pace was hovering right around the 7 minute per mile mark.

I hit the second loop and was super excited to tackle that trail again. I saw the Samurai cheer squad yelling ‘Go Baker!’ again. I also ended up running into Amy and I yelled ‘Battaliiioooooooon!!!’ Go team.

Sex/ Age	Age Place	Overall Place	Swim 1.5K	T1	Bike 40K	T2	Run 8K	Total Time
M38	7	77	36:19	3:11	1:16:32	1:54	43:56	2:41:52

Thanks for the pics Dave!

I finished up and then headed over to cheer. I got to see Amy, Rachel and Dougie come through. We all hung around in the field eating and talking about the race. Dougie and I eventually made our way to the beer tent for our 2 free Adirondack Brewery Beers.

Since we had to recover for the race the next day we opted for a really protein heavy lunch. We also went back out into the lake later to shake out the body and just float.

Active recovery, Battalion style

For dinner we opted for the Lake George Beach Club. The food was fantastic but the vibe they were trying to create was pretty lame. They did, however have a fantastic gal singing on the outside deck entertaining us all while the cool night air set in.

RACE DAY TWO: HALF-IRONMAN

Once again, let’s just go over the distance for readers not familiar.

SWIM: 1.2m
BIKE: 56m
RUN: 13.1m

We woke up and repeated the exact routine we had done the morning before… peanut butter sandwiches, etc. I even made the same crappy cup of coffee. My body didn’t seem tired, but my mind did. It knew what lay in store I think.

On the bike ride to the start we thought it might have been a few degrees cooler than Saturday.

After setting up the gear in transition we met up with the group that I coach. We had a few laughs and kept the mood light. 4 of us (Dougie, Rachel, Vic and myself) had the King George double event to tackle. Natalie, Laura and Erin had opted to just do the Half-Ironman portion of the race, a smarter move I think.

I was Wave 1 this time so I headed to the water soon after the meet up. Let’s get this thing going!

The same 1975 recording of the National Anthem played that did the day before, which was pretty uninspiring. Then, showtime. I ran into the water (it was still warm) and plunged in, locking into a calm steady freestyle stroke. I felt good and once again wanted to just enjoy this lovely body of water.

1.2 miles compared to .9 miles didn’t seem like that big a difference mentally., but physically it was. It wouldn’t have been if I had nothing to compare it to the day before, but the extra distance to the turnaround seemed to take forever.

My sighting was way better today and I was hitting all the tangents and keeping a straight line for the most part.

In T1 I had a hell of a time getting my wet suit off. The race uses these huge foam ankle trackers and it was hard to get the suit over it. Then, to make matters worse, as I went to mount my bike the chain was apparently off the big wheel! Sabotage! I quickly remedied the situation (some guy even complimented my bike handling skills, thanks man) and took off.

It was quite cold and the first three miles of the course are straight uphill. It was grueling and seemed to never end. At the apex I started to take off. I saw Laura, who looked fresh and then caught up to Doug. We rode for awhile before he said to me in typical Doug style, “Go do your thing bro, I’ll see you on the run.”

We kept riding up into the mountains and the fog made it seem as though we were riding into a forest fire. It also made for very chilly riding and I was happy to have my long sleeve jersey on. We were riding along the Schroon River, which I kept saying over and over in my head as it is quite fun to say. It got pretty lonely out there and at times I could only see one person in front of me and one behind, both 50 meters out.

It was at this point, mile 20, that I all of a sudden had to pee very bad. This was strange as I had peed like 4 times during the swim.

The top half of the race is to circumnavigate Brandt Lake. It was a gorgeous lake that was much quieter and calmer than Lake George. At this point I was actually feeling pretty exhausted and wanted the race to be done. ‘Just hang on’ is what I kept telling myself. My speed dropped and I tried to take it easy on the hills. I had been taking in plenty of nutrition, I just think the race from the day before was starting to take it’s toll.

As we were rounding the top of the lake, I looked to the right. The sun was glancing across a field of tall grass as a young horse, backlit, stood eating. It was so beautiful. For a second I though, ‘Wow I wish I had a camera.’ Then, as I often do, though, ‘No, this is for the moment.’ It actually gave me a burst of energy.

When we hit the half way mark there was one port-o-potty. I used it and once I was back on the bike felt worlds better. ‘Baker, you always pee on the bike, why not then?’ It was really cold out and my tri shorts were still wet from the swim, that seemed like a very bad time.

The second half of the lake run was super fun. The road got tight and windy, one wrong move and you were in the soup! The temperatures were starting to rise as well, the fog gone.

By now I was leap-frogging with 2-3 individuals. As we were around mile 40 the gal in front of me veered left and hit the brakes. A giant Great Dane, smiling and happy, was running right at us. It wanted to play. I followed suit and just as he came up beside me to lick me I took off. Up ahead, the unaffected owner saying, “Molly, hey c’mon back okay?” Onward.

I was actually feeling pretty good and peppy now and held a steady pace. I knew we would soon go back down the uphill from the beginning. Before that though, the gods set upon us one last mother of an uphill. I was feeling social, and asked a guy I was passing, “Hey, do you think this is the last uphill?” “I fuckin’ hope so.” he yelled. Yes, I hope so too.

And it was. As we crossed over the apex a glorious thing of beauty showed itself, the three mile downhill. I screamed down it, trying to conserve energy by not grinding it out. It also seemed as though the wind was working against us.

T2 never looked so good. I racked my bike and decided, without a cloud in the sky, I should lather up with some sunblock. As I was doing so one of the USAT Refs came over and hung out, noting that what I was doing was a good idea.

Taking off onto the course I felt a bit sluggish as compared to the day before. I know myself, and I know that mile 1 of a triathlon is going to be the warm up. I was disappointed when we didn’t turn down into the woodsy trail from yesterday and kept on the bike path. At least it was shaded.

I was passing people steadily and then Vic came from the other direction and gave me a high five. Nice. Next I saw Abbe and Danika in full on cheer squad. As I passed them for the first quick out-n-back I passed Erin who yelled to me, “Sorry Baker, I didn’t take it easy on the bike.” I wanted her to take it easy on the bike.

Within a few miles I had caught up to her and noted that I thought she was 7th woman overall! Keep it up I told her. She cracked me up because after I left one of the bigger aid stations she asked if there were snacks. Yes, there are snacks.

I saw Dougie right around here and I yelled “Battaliooooon!” He looked good and was smiling.

I was pretty fired up now and running sub7. I was not stopping at water stations to walk, I was not holding back. As we hit mile 7 we entered a new section of the course. I took it, because some dumb young kids who volunteered weren’t paying attention, and then I saw a mile 12 marker and freaked out. I sped up and asked this guy running what the deal was. He notified me that we run this loop twice. Then, the mile 8 marker passed and I felt dumb.

On the second loop I saw Natalie who seemed to be having a great time like the rest of us. My watch had malfunctioned (because I hit the transition button twice) so I didn’t know pace or time, I was just moving as fast as I could go.

The last loop was pretty fast, and I always realize that I am meant to run long distance when I experience this in a race. It was like miles 7-13 were easier than the first few.

I saw Abbe at the finish and she helped me put some pep in my step for the end.

My time of 5:29:58 was not a race PR, but I finished with a PR (1:29:58) for my Half-Ironman run split.

Sex/ Age	Age Place	Overall Place	Swim 1.2M	T1	Bike 56M	T2	Run 13.1M	Total Time
M38	9	57	47:54	2:16	3:05:18	3:06	1:29:58	5:29:58

After she found me we both hit the water station (she had just done a 20 mile training run). I found Victor and then watched Erin finish. She came in 6th overall in fact! Soon we saw Dougie, who did way better than expected. Laura and Natalie crushed it and Rachel had a broken chain, throwing her time way off. Better to happen now than in Ironman though.

While eating they started putting more results up, King George being one of them, and Abbe went up to look. She looked back at me and held up five fingers, smiling at me. I had come n 5th and was super excited by it!

For those confused, they add up the Olympic Distance and the Half-Ironman distance times to get the King George results.

We took some awards photos before Dougie and I headed out to meet the gals for food. We spent the day celebrating our double triathlon accomplishment.

Thanks Lake George and Adirondack Race Management!

Big ups to the group I coach. You were sportsmanlike, you showed a high level of endurance during tough times and looked great while there was a lot of carnage on the course. I am proud to have coached and taken you to where you are now. You are all Warrior Status, keep your heads high.

This was very challenging more mentally than physically. I am happy to have done it, because I live for the endurance challenges.

RACE REPORT: 119 Timberman – 5:26:14

Posted on August 24, 2015 by admin

Posted in All, Race Reports, Triathlon 2 Comments

I realized on the Friday night before Timberman while packing that… I LOVE packing for triathlons! You put all the run stuff here and then all the bike stuff goes there, it’s all quite simple.

I was very excited for Timberman as the swim is in Lake Winnipesaukee, a crystal clear body of water 5 hours north of here. I am used to racing in dirty Hudson River-esque places, so this was going to be a treat!

Dougie popped over at 7AM Saturday, we loaded the gear and blasted out of the city error free. We had a fun road trip up to New Hampshire, stopping at Breugers Bagels and communicating with Van2 (Kate, Allison, Tara and Ryan) who were an hour behind us… slackers!

We arrived 5 hours later, grabbed our bibs and then headed over to bike check-in at the lake. We quickly set up our gear then high tailed it back to the car as we wanted to go for a swim in the lake. It was hot as hell and the clear water in the afternoon looked so inviting.

I could see all the way to the bottom as I swam out. It was great! There were buoys already set up and I said to Doug, “This does not look like it s that far at all.” ‘Of course not Baker you fool, that is the Sprint course from earlier in the day’ is what I would tell myself in the morning as I saw the real course markers. Dougie and I got in a solid 800 meters before calling it a day.

Van2 had just arrived. So had a crazy thunderstorm. They ran their bikes over to transition and then we all high tailed it outta there toward dinner.

We had reservations at CC Tomatoes down by Concord. Dougie and I got there an hour before Van2 and so we posted up at the bar for a few beers. It was a local italian restaurant where everyone knew each other. I immediately loved it. Cassie the bartender served us up some drinks and then the guy next to us, Tim, swung around asking where we were from. Clearly we stood out.

We hung out with Tim for the next hour discussing the area we were racing in, which happened to be where he grew up. We chatted about local ski resorts and hiking, it was great. The girls and Ryan showed up and we introduced them to our new friend Tim before sitting to eat. As we walked away Tim said farewell and noted that the Lobster Fettuccine was awesome. Sold.

We carbed up with salads and pasta chatting about race strategy. It was Kate, Allison and Tara’s first Half Ironman. I was excited for them, although we all knew conditions were going to be rough with the heat wave that was in place.

I asked for the check as it was getting late and our server noted that a man at the bar had already paid it! Dougie and I looked at each other and simultaneously said “Tim!” I tried to catch him as he ran out the door. I yelled, “Tim, did you buy us dinner?” He smiled, “Maybe. Have a great race tomorrow!” and with that he was gone. Thanks Tim, where ever you are. You restored a few city slickers faith in humanity.

RACE DAY

Up at the lovely hour of 4:45 and on the road by 5. It’s always weird going to bed and waking up when it is dark out. We had learned that Van2 woke up at 3, drove to transition and were sleeping in the car.

Dougie and I are both All World Athletes this year so our bike rack was right next to the Pros. It was kind of cool and intimidating at the same time as things were a touch more ‘serious’ by us.

We found Tara, Allison and Kate after they had set up transition and we all headed over to the lake to watch the wave starts. We had to race too, so that would be a good place to hang.

It was an absolutely gorgeous sunrise on the lake. It was a bit of a double edged sword though… with the beautiful sun comes heat.

We sent off Kate and then as our wave was getting ready bid farewell to Allison and Tara. Time for battle.

As Dougie and I waded into the water I broke my very own rule. I normally suggest to weaker swimmers to hang back and on one of the flanks. I was so excited to be in this damn lake that I got right in front. I was even jumping around a bit to the music playing. I may as well have been at a concert. The surrounding competitors were not feeling my vibe with their serious faces on.

The gun went off and I went out hard. I have done this enough that fear of getting punched or kicked doesn’t register, it has just become normal. It’s like the subway at rush hour, but in water.

I think around 500 meters in I had trouble breathing. I was having a bit of a panic attack I think. It’s happened to me once before on an open water swim in the middle of the Hudson river and it’s not a good time. I started breast stroking and thinking that this was the end of my race, game over. I even looked back to see what my exit strategy would be. Who am I? This is not me.

I stopped and was just bobbing around. It’s an interesting experience to just stop in the middle of the swim, the sound of others rushing past quietly. A voice called out to me. It was a woman in a kayak 10 feet away. “Hi. Are you okay? You are allowed to hang onto my kayak for a minute if you need to.” I swam over feeling very defeated and hung onto the front with one hand. “I don’t know what’s going on, I have done this many times.” I reassured her. “This is a very daunting task. You are also breathing very fast, slow your breathing down okay?” She was right. I slowed my breathing down and just chilled for a minute taking it all in. I looked off toward the distant turn buoy in the middle of the lake then back at her. “Thank you very much for all of your help miss.” and with that I plunged back into the soup and swam off, feeling normal.

Back in the groove I was swimming with ease and really enjoying myself wondering how I let it get so out of hand earlier. I focused on my form and plugged away. I got bopped in the face a few times and of course people were tickling my feet, but thats standard practice. As I rounded the final turn buoy I noticed how not tired I was and thought about all the open water lake swims we had been doing at Aunt Margie and Uncle John’s house. It was really paying off.

I exited the swim with excitement and ran over to one of the many wetsuit strippers. I love wetsuit strippers, mainly because they knock 1 minute off my T1 time.

My bike was one of the only ones left on the All World Athlete rack which made me think ‘Womp womp’ in my head. No matter… we will just play a game called catch up.

I jump on my ride and noticed that my legs were totally ready to ride immediately. I put my head down and started digging in. It was gorgeous out with a bit of a breeze, a breeze that would turn into ‘wind’ on the return trip but for now, it was at our back.

Around mile 5 I caught up to Kate and chilled with her for a second asking how she was doing. All was well so I hit the road, pressing forward steadily.

At mile 10 I caught up to Dougie and we rode together for the next 5-10 miles chatting away. We were moving at a good clip and passing people. We had to climb this monster hill. While doing so the Pros were ripping back down the hill on the return ride. It was awesome seeing bikes move that fast and I looked forward to dropping it down once I was on that hill.

At some point I lost Dougie and was just movin’ along. I played leapfrog with this Canadian gal Caron Pare for most of the ride. I was also moving a a very quick pace, averaging 24mph.

Mile 20 hit and I decided to have a bite of my Clif Bar. I needed the solids.

Mile 25 hit and I realized I had dropped my only Clif Bar.

It didn’t matter. I felt great and was crushing it. I had enough EFS formula and a few Gus to propel me home. What I didn’t know was that as we made the turn around we were confronted with a headwind. I hate wind. You can’t see it. It’s like an invisible foe pushing you here and there, mocking you.

The miles clicked by. I saw Allison on the other side of the road making her way to the turnaround and so I yelled hello to her. My inspiration was the big hill. Get to the big hill.

And the big hill came. I was going 6mph when I was climbing the hill, now I was rocketing like a bat out of hell topping out at 47.5mph on the descent! I honestly don’t know if I have ever gone that fast on a bike before, it was sick. I had no idea of my speed at the time because to look down at my Garmin would most likely mean a fiery death. I just tucked in and let me legs rest… I may have even been maniacally laughing.

Coming out of warp speed, I still had a solid 30 minutes of riding left. Our A Race is Ironman Louisville so heart rate training has been in full effect. I felt really great at this point in the race and I have no doubt in my mind that it is due to that style of training.

As we approached T2 I saw people out on the run course and got jazzed up.

A quick shoe swap, smear myself with 50SPF sunblock, grab my visor and I was off to the run.

The run course is a double out-n-back. I was looking forward to seeing the crew… a lot of times. I felt pretty good going into it. The legs were moving and I had some energy and I was focused on getting my HR to equalize.

Did I mention that it was crazy hot out? Why was it that all 3 triathlons I was racing this year were like 90+ degrees out? I mentally decided that I was going to stop at every aid station and pour water on my head. At the time, it seemed like a good idea. Looking back, once I had seen my final time I would wish that I had given it a bit more push.

The rolling hills and shade didn’t bother me too much until we got toward the turnaround and had to deal with the half mile on open highway. It was horrible. All I could think about was having to do it 3 more times.

We hit the return and I blasted forward, excited to see my friends.

I saw Dougie and shortly after Allison, who was having a great race.

The turnaround by the Finish is a bit of a mindfuck as you run right past the end, but you have to do another loop! The ‘good’ thing about having to do another loop is that you know the course. I blasted forward, the only dread in my head was the highway scene that was to take place at mile 10.

I was Dougie again, followed by Allison followed by Tara followed by Kate who yelled, “I’m confused why did I see Allison and now you?” Clearly Kate wasn’t aware of the ‘2 loops’.

I was still hosing myself down with water at every chance I had. Once more Dougie passed by followed by Allison at which point I yelled to her “Kate is confused at the 2 loop curse. Help her?”

At this stage in the game one of us were thinking straight.

I had also caught up to my friend Caron Pare (remember her from the bike?) and gave a peace sign as I passed.

I finished the race with a good punch but knew my time was sub par. I was happy for my bike splits though and the idea of just finishing the race. What if I had stopped on the swim?

Sex/ Age	Age Place	Overall Place	Swim 1.2M	T1	Bike 56M	T2	Run 13.1M	Total Time
M37	59	403	44:25	2:25	2:47:01	2:34	1:49:49	5:26:14

I went to the food tent after and waited for Dougie. We ate some real crap pizza and then went to change and wait for the gals. They all finished with glorious first time Half Ironman times and should be proud of themselves. It’s always a battle and never easy.

Doug and I hung out in the parking lot drinking beers, reflecting on our race. The gals and Ryan eventually found us and did the same. We all laughed and basked in our own personal glory as the summer sun set on the lake. It was perfect.

—

This is a race I will do again. The course and the people rock.

This race also goes to show you that no matter how many times you do something you can always get thrown a curve ball. Were it not for my guardian angel in the kayak would I have finished this race?

I tell my athletes this all the time, stick to the plan. Something one of my mentors taught me years ago. I diverted from my plan and went out hard, almost costing me a DNF. Stick to the plan.

Tim of ‘Tim’berman. You are the man and thank you for buying us dinner. You have restored our faith in humanity.

To the gals of GCR… nice work. You even made it into the race report.

RACE REPORT: 116 Challenge AC Half Ironman – 5:27:58

Posted on July 8, 2015 by admin

Posted in All, Race Reports, Triathlon 2 Comments

Remember that time I wanted to PR the Paris Marathon and dropped all triathlete knick-knacky stuff to focus on only running? Yes, well the Challenge AC Half Ironman crept up very quickly after. With 3 long rides in the realm of 40-45 miles and one swim since my honeymoon in October it was sure to be pretty. At least my run game was on point… or so it would seem.

Some exciting things I had going for me aside from ‘me’ though were that one of my athlete’s ‘The Cardiac Crusher’ had been destroying his training regimen in a good way and was set up for a good race. Another privilege I had was the possibility of sending another one of my athletes into Ironman status. It was an exciting weekend.

Dougie D picked me up early Saturday and we made our way south towards AC. The gals (my wife Abbe, his soon to be wife Danika and a rogue Russian/Serbian named Bojana wanted in Macedonia for espionage) were already there trying to take advantage of a beach weekend. It was a flawless entry and approach into Atlantic City. I had never been there and immediately noticed a lot of junkies and strange folk milling about. What was this strange land?

Bally’s was the host hotel of the race and that was where we were staying. The ratio of people racing to people in town to gamble and stay up all night was 1 to 50 without exaggerating. I felt like I was in the movie Casino, patterned carpet, mirrored ceilings, the smell of stale smoke everywhere and pings and pongs, bleeps and bloops sounding off in the distant casino floor. I questioned everything.

It was very easy to check into the race and get all our gear. We then met the gals (plus our friend Brian, an Irish guy dating the Serbian) and headed to an Irish Pub that was supposed to be cool. By now the weather was taking a turn for the worse. It would soon get very worse.

We had some lunch, a few beers and then tried to formulate a game plan. That game plan included Doug and I running the 1/2 mile from the Irish Pub to Ballys in a downpour. We grabbed the car and picked up Abbe and Danika who would help guard the car while we dropped off gear in transition.

Have you ever seen The Wizard of Oz? Of course you have, it’s the oldest color movie. Imagine transition like that. Not flying monkeys or a witch but crazy 30 mile per hour winds, torrential rain with port-o-johns flying around. Doug and I were yelling to each other just like Marty and Doc in the final scene of Back to the Future, “Dougie! Lash the bike to the bar with the bungee cord!” “What?” it was so windy we couldn’t hear each other. We just bungee corded our bikes to the transition bars, threw some bags on the seat and handle bars and rolled out, soaked to the bone. I even had my new Brooks/Gotham City Runners rain/windbreaker which should actually just be renamed windbreaker.

Dinner was at Carmine’s, the AC version. Good news though, the bolognese tastes just like the Manhattan version, which rocks! We pigged out. Seriously, I could not eat anymore but I wanted to.

We were in bed by 9:30 or so, not bad at all.

RACE DAY

I often tell people that I only need 6 hours of sleep nightly. Sometimes I jinx myself, like on this night where I woke up at 3:30 on the dot wide awake and ready to roll. We were going to wake up at 4:30 so I just tried and tried to sleep just a few more minutes to no avail.

Doug and I were quietly (at least we thought) moving about the dark room gathering our triathlete belongings. We put on the arm marker tattoos which would later pose an issue as they never come off. I even used Goof Off, on my arm! Ironman brand ones come off a lot easier, what’s the deal Challenge Family? We left the hotel room at 5 on the dot and guess what, the casino and bar were bumping as if it were happy hour on a Friday! Then again if we went up to any of those fools and told them what was about to go down they would probably say we were the crazy ones. Touché pussycat.

We had 10 minutes to spare in transition. I have done this enough that it’s like making my bed. I am not saying this to sound arrogant, I am just saying that in triathlon experience is a big part of the game.

I was cracking up as the guy across from me was confused as I was hosing my neck, shoulders and ankles down with Vaseline.

We rolled over to the swim start as they were announcing things and prepping the crowd. I was looking for David (first time Ironman) and Joe. We found Joe and settled in. My friend Elik came over at some point and was confused as he knew Joe and I but didn’t know that Joe and I had known each other or that I was now coaching Joe. He also knew David which further blew him away. Triathlon is a tight community and that’s why I like it!

I looked up and said to the guys, “It’s going to get sunny” in a half excited half scared tone. With a shrug of our shoulders we gave each other fist bumps as our final water entry was announced. March of the Penguins had begun.

It was time trial single file water entry which has it’s pros and cons. Pros… you aren’t getting your ass kicked in the soup. Con… you have no idea who was in front or behind you once the bike and run starts.

I gave a fist bump to Steve, the race director, and then jumped in holding my goggles to my eyes Navy Seal style. It was go time.

The water was salty and the perfect temperature for wetsuit swimming. I calmly began my race, focused on my form and every stroke. I was really enjoying myself. I had on a brand new wetsuit, my goggles were locked in place and I just plugged along doing my thing. It was a right to left loop and for the most part was a pretty mild swim. As I neared the last turn buoys I just didn’t feel right. My sighting was throwing them in different directions and I felt like I was making zero progress. Finally, at the last turn as I made my way toward the homestretch I popped out of the water (something I never do but I was curious) and was pushed back quickly. Ah ha! We were indeed swimming against the tide. I was immediately overwhelmed with anger. “This is bullshit.” Then I thought to myself, “No, it’s not. If this shit were easy everyone would do it.” I pushed real hard, fighting the current and eventually made it to the dock. It was my worst 1.2 mile swim to date (48 minutes), but only by 2-3 minutes.

I passed numerous people walking towards T1. My heart was revving up, I was pumped. I got my wetsuit off, threw all my bike gear on and blasted out of T1. As I mounted I noticed it was raining! What? We also had to ride over these crazy ass carpets protecting us from what I could only guess what was quicksand.

Out on the highway making my way to Jersey the rain wasn’t quite blinding, but it was getting close. The 30 mph headwinds that would haunt us all day were not helping my mentality either. I was pretty bummed about my poor swim time.

We quickly made a few lefts and rights and were all of sudden in rural New Jersey, not far from where I spent the first 9 years of my life in fact. As we barreled down this straightaway I remember seeing dark storm clouds coming at me. It was very ‘movie like’ and I just said to myself, “Lets go into this storm and see if we come out.” I mean, there was no visible lightening so it wasn’t a tall order.

At some point early I looked down and realized my timing chip had fallen off my leg. Most likely this happened while I was pissed in T1 taking off my wetsuit. Whatever.

I was holding down a solid 20 mph average pace, yet I wasn’t happy. I was in pain, the stupid ref motorcycle was up in my grill for like 10 miles and it was raining. As mile 25 rolled around my sunglasses cleared up, the clouds dissipated and the sun reared it’s face. Good? For now. Everything clicked in and I started blazing the second half with no pain. I was passing people liberally and really feeling like a biker. The guys I was riding alongside were great (for once) and we played leapfrog for awhile.

Getting close to T2 I noticed that I hit 56 miles (the bike course distance) way prior to T2. When I would finish it would be 58 miles. Strange and not cool.

Finishing the bike portion of the race I had a lot more steam in me then I realized. This is good. I also realized that the sun was blazing and this 13 mile run was not going to be pretty. Let the battle begin.

Pulling into T2 was great as I got to see Doug and Joe (one lane apart) prepping for the run. The three of us exchanging silly banter as we geared up, it was like homecoming for triathletes. They took off a minute ahead of me. I made sure to try and lather up in sunscreen, although I don’t think it was very effective.

I felt great leaving transition. I started off with a 7 minute pace, knowing it was soon to fade in the ungodly sun. We hit that boardwalk and went south and I thought to myself, “How the hell are we going to survive this with the heat?” Aside from the heat being bad, no one in the immediate 20 miles of AC had any idea there was a race going on. That means that as we ran all along the AC boardwalk no one knew or cared that some serious racing was going down.

Approaching the crux of the Atlantic City Boardwalk was quite an ordeal. Smells of cigarettes, fried food and disappointment wafting your way as you try and tough out the 80 degree shade free course. As you navigated all the clueless people you wondered why this location was chosen as a race destination. I thought of my athlete David and got very worried and upset knowing he would have to deal with this hours later… more crowded and his mind in not such a forgiving place.

I can’t even tell you how many times I ran out-and-back. It was exhausting. Making my way north for the first time I saw Abbe and Danika. Abbe was yelling, “Hi Husband!” I pulled over, gave each gal a kiss. Bojana was at a neighboring restaurant and asked if I needed water. “Um, Yes” I grabbed some and asked how their morning was before taking off. There was laughter and then there was me, Baker, speeding off. At mile 6 I really thought about stopping. It was stupid hot out with limited aid stations. I kept going.

I saw Doug every now and again as we passed each other on the numerously ridiculous out-and-backs and we would high five. It was the worst course I could remember in recent times and the aid stations were so spread out you could die of dehydration or motivation between. I fought to hang on, going for aid-station-to-aid-station mentality. I also thought about how ridiculously horrible the run course was for the full distance athletes.

I made many a friend running that course. Everyone was way cool which I expected at a triathlon, it helped my motivation. At one point I passed a guy and said hello, mentioning the tough conditions. He said, “Hey man, mind if you pull me along, I could use it.” Smiling and replying “Hell no man, let’s go.” He hung on for awhile. We chatted, he was from Colorado Springs. He knew my old team, Kompetitive Edge as well. At another point I gave a shout out to a guy who was biking the entire course with me prior to the run. We had been playing leap frog all day.

I soon came back around passing Abbe again who had a bottle of water. “Hi husband, do you want more water?” Um, no brainer. Even if they disqualified me for ‘outside help’ this was not going to be a PR day. As I grabbed the water I looked left at the woman I had been running along side and we chuckled together. I took a big sip and then hosed myself down. The bottle was still half full so I offered it to my friend. She took it and repeated my maneuver.

This was the final out-and-back and I was catching up to Doug. As I approached the 11 mile turn around I saw him heading back toward the finish. I took my time at the aid station, pouring water on my head, drinking my flat coke and thanking volunteers before setting off.

Dougie had a 1 minute lead on me and I thought, “How cool would it be if I caught him and we finished together!” Mission set, lock and deploy.

With 800 meters to go I rolled up behind him and said, “Can you smell the beer?!” We slogged out the last section in probably our fastest pace of the day. We finished and made some faces which at the time we thought were bad ass. You decide. We kinda just look beat up.

Sex/ Age	Age Place	Overall Place	Swim 1.2M	T1	Bike 56M	T2	Run 13.1M	Total Time
M37	30	130	48:53	2:57	2:51:07	2:44	1:41:35	5:27:58

Abbe, Danika, Bojana and Brian were there right at the finish to greet us. After cooling off we made our way to a local hang out for food and beer. We were pretty spaced out/banged up until the solid food started processing into energy.

We found Joe soon after and yes, he had PR’d by 4 minutes and broken the 6 hour mark! We went to Transition, collected our things and had a few more beers at Ballys before taking off. I wanted to stick around to see David finish the full, but at this point that looked to be 4-5 hours from the current time.

We arrived back in mighty Manhattan in time for a late dinner and some much needed sleep.

—

The course was not my favorite, it down poured, it was hot and sunny, I had zero training going into it and AC is weird. But, the rave staff and volunteers were amazing. To be out and about in the rain and heat is true dedication, thank you.

Big ups to Joe, who I knew had it in him to break 6, and pulled it off like a boss.

Big congrats to David, who is now officially an Ironman after completing the full course just over 14 hours!

You both are prime examples of ideal athletes to coach. I dish out the punishing work and you execute with no questions asked. Thanks guys, you make me a proud coach!

RACE REPORT: 103 Eagleman – 5:21:22

Posted on June 11, 2014 by admin

Posted in All, Race Reports, Triathlon 2 Comments

Last season was a bust for me due to my ongoing knee problem. I only raced 1 (that’s right 1) triathlon! My friend Doug suggested we rock Eagleman 70.3 to set off the season. It would be his first attempt at the distance and I was excited to be a part of that.

We left might Manhattan at noon on Saturday. In tow we had Doug, his fiance Danika (also a friend of mine) and his youngest daughter Madison. Madison has already rocked out a few triathlons at the age of 8! She wanted to see what a 70.3 was all about.

We had a fun car ride down and got to Cambridge with 2 hours to spare before bike check-in closed. The river looked peaceful and I was pretty excited to get my swim on the next day.

Back in the car, we had 20 minutes until the Belmont Stakes and a possible Triple Crown were to take place. We found a spot called Jimmie and Sooks and posted up with a few beers. Maddie had a Mountain Dew. As it turns out they had a few great pasta options on their menu so we opted to chill out there.

SIDENOTE: For those of you not familiar with Maryland crab country, we were in teh heart of it. I grew up eating Maryland Blues and I was so pumped to eat some after the race. Jimmie is a male crab and a Sook is a female.

Cambridge is a small town and so hotels are sparse. We found a room 30 minutes away in the lovely town of Seaford. Once there we did the usual pre race set up… mixing drinks, laying out clothes and setting alarms.

I slept kind of okay. One positive sleep related thing that happened was when I awoke thinking it was go time and I actually (after checking the clock) had 2 more hours! Wooooo!

RACE DAY

We woke up at 5 and were out the door by 5:15. Both Doug and I did not feel hungry, a great sign. In all of my races, especially the more recent ones, I have mastered this. Setting up the glucose stores so that you need minimal fuel for the morning sets the stage for a good day.

While in transition they made the announcement that wetsuits would be illegal as the water temps were over 76.1 degrees. (This sets the stage for what lay ahead weather wise.) I was pissed for a hot second and then shrugged it off. The Choptank River looked nice and I was psyched to just splash around with my fellow triathletes. I have never been a solid swimmer and so I make up for it on the bike and run. Better to chase then to be chased. The only thing that pissed me off was that I wanted to swim topless (woooo0) and then they announced everyone must wear a top. Gotham City Runners’ tri kits aren’t in yet, so I was going to wear a running top after I got out of the water. Now I had to wear it for the swim. Whatever.

Doug and I were in like Wave 11 almost an hour after the 6:45 start so we just chilled out watching the swimmers. I ran into my friend Pat who is a local NYC runner I know who races for the Flyers.

I don’t know what my deal is, but I had zero nervousness going into this, like nothing. Maybe this comes with experience? Maybe it comes from me not giving a damn and just being excited to race? Whatever it is, I liked the feeling.

5 minutes until our wave start they announced that you in fact now did NOT need to wear a top. Great, thanks for the heads up guys. No way I could get my race top for the bike and run back up to transition and back in time for the swim start. Oh well.

We made our way into the water and bobbed around in the 4 feet deep water for 5 before go time. Doug and I did a fist bump and wished each other well right before the gun went off.

I just dove right into the chum and started calmly swimming. The sun was up, the water was refreshing and I was pretty excited, but not crazed. I focused on form and really felt good about the progress I was making. The shirt I was wearing was definitely creating drag.

There was some jostling here at first but I found an inside lane and just did my thing. I didn’t mind not having a wetsuit at all.

The swim was a rectangle missing one of the small sides. The first ‘out’ portion seemed to happen fast, each buoy coming along steadily. As we made the turn I noticed that Doug was right next to me. He is hard to miss as he has full sleeve tattoos. We swam along together for the whole second, shorter turn around side of the rectangle.

We turned again and were on the homestretch. This is where I had some trouble. All of a sudden these two big guys started zig-zagging in front of me. Now, I may not be a fast swimmer, but I am pretty good at sighting and accuracy and I basically needed to get ‘over’ these dudes. I got kicked a couple times and was also hit in the small of my back pretty bad. That one pissed me off a bit but I kept my cool. Shallow water martial arts battles are not part of the triathlon experience.

I had lost Doug once all water trouble started. I finished in 47 minutes. 5 minutes slower than expected. That’s what you get for swimming 3 times in 6 months during training. My longest bike rides (2) were 35 miles and 22 miles so I didn’t know what to expect on the bike either.

Entering transition without a wetsuit was a first and I loved it. It was so easy.

As I was running out of T1 I got overly excited when I saw Danika and Madison and when I went to wave I lost control and dropped my bike. Rookie move Baker!

The bike course was a blast. Fast and flat. We had a headwind the whole time which was a bit of a problem. I was clicking through miles every 2:30 or 2:45. At Mile 10 I caught up to Doug. He was doing great holdin it down. I pressed on.

Soon after this guy in front of me points down at the road as if to signal a pothole. It was a 7 foot long black snake crossing the road! That was a first. No, I did not run over him, I went around. I thought for a hot second it might be a cobra or something and latch onto my calve, ending my race.

We were riding through and around the Blackwater Nature Reserve and we were ‘out there.’ There were also lots of Eagles and Hawks flying about which was really cool! There were times when some of them felt like they were flying with me. Now we know why the race is called Eagleman. They should create an Ironman in Africa and call it Lionman.

By mile 20 or 25 the heat was kicking up off the pavement. My nutrition was great, legs slightly sore but all-in-all doing fine. I was worried about the run though. If it was already this hot and I had another hour on the bike it was gonna be a scorcher.

At mile 30 I was pretty over the bike ride and ready to run. My quads were hurting and the heat was getting to me. I think the monotony of a flat course was getting boring too.

When mile 40 hit something weird happened. I got a second wind or something. Or I equalized? My pace even jumped from 20 MPH to 22-23 MPH. Whatever the reason, I’ll take it.

Doug and I were wondering why they gave us 2 bibs when we checked in. Well, I ripped my bib getting off the bike, so that second one came in pretty handy. I also tacked on a few extra minutes in T2 trying to get that squared away. I also slathered (good word) a new batch of sunscreen on.

As soon as I was away from T2 and on the road I kind of went, “Holy Shit.” It was 90 degrees, 100% humidity and not one piece of shade or cloud to be had. It was here, within the first mile or two I actually contemplated quitting. It was that bad.

At the first aid station I hosed myself with water, ice water and sponges. I told myself to just take it one aid station at a time and that’s kind of how it went. I would start running, and mind you my legs felt awesome and my energy and nutrition couldn’t have been more perfect, and just try to get to the next station before I dried up.

Anytime I saw a sprinkler left out by good Samaritans I ran through it. Kids with garden hoses, bring the noise I’m down. I would be dry and on fire again a 1/4 of a mile past the water stations.

Did I mention that Maddie had made the best sign ever?

It was an out-and-back course and I could see all of the people in the earlier waves coming past. I wanted to scream, “Where is the turn around! How far? Is there a pool?”

Since it was flat and in open fields you could see the runners ahead way off in the distance. It was surreal. The worst part of the course was between miles 5 and 6.5. It was the greatest distance between water stations and you could really feel it. Total march of death.

I hit the turn around and started taking Coke at aid stations from here on out. I knew my pace wasn’t my best, which was slightly upsetting as I had a good bike split, but at this point I just wanted to complete the race.

I saw Doug at mile 8 and we hooked up a high five. I was psyched for him as he was coming off a stress fracture and was going to walk it if the injury reared back up. He was running and in good spirits.

Soon after I saw my friend Derek followed by Pat.

It was somewhere around 1PM at this point and the heat was insane. I was being conscious as well to my vitals, making sure I wasn’t going to pass out.

I finished in 5:21:22, 9 minutes from a PR. All in all I was happy to have fought the battle and come out alive. That is now the hardest run I have ever done.

Sex/ Age	Age Place	Overall Place	Swim 1.2M	T1	Bike 56M	T2	Run 13.1M	Total Time
M36	91	584	48:09	2:33	2:43:10	4:38	1:43:02	5:21:22

I hung out in the athlete’s food area scarfing some black beans and rice in the shade. Soon after I heard Doug’s name announced as a finisher and I went to find everyone.

Next up… celebrate. We hit up a good old fashioned Maryland Blue Crab joint. I taught the group how to pick apart the shells and even Maddie was doing great. Once we were done we headed back home to NYC, ready for some sleep!

—

The part of the Ironman, the battle, is what I like most, even when it’s kicking my ass. Out there on the course, I didn’t see ‘fit’ people or overly athletic bodies. What I saw were warriors, using determination and mental strength to get them through the day.

Congrats Doug for killing your first 70.3!

And to all of you 70-84 year old people I saw on the run, you are my inspiration.

RACE REPORT: 066 Rev 3 SC Half Ironman

Posted on October 14, 2011 by admin

Posted in All, Race Reports, Triathlon 8 Comments

Revolution 3, South Carolina would be the second Half Ironman I have ever attempted. It fit perfectly into my full Ironman training and also be a nice gauge to see where I was mentally and physically.

—

Jim (from Dad Posse) drove the bikes down Thursday and visited family while Ed (also from Dad Posse) and I took a plane the next day. Our flight was 20 minutes late getting off the ground and we had a connecting flight in Charlotte 30 minutes after we were supposed to land. This wasn’t a good start.

I’m no aviation expert… but it seemed like our pilot gunned it the whole time as we almost made up for the lost time. Ed and I looked at each other, knowing we had less than 15 minutes to get to our plane once we hit the ground, and said “We can do this.” Ed got on his sneakers and I looked at the airport map. As we left the gate there was some old guy in a suit who was going to E33 as well, “E33? C’mon! Follow us!” as Ed and I full sprinted down the terminal. We all made the flight, but my man in the suit just walked it. Running is lame.

We took a propeller plane! too cool!

Jim and his brother Brice (also doing Rev3) picked us up and took us to a bar called Carolina Ale House in Greenville for dinner.

The next morning we all went to one of the 5,000 Waffle Houses in the area. It was to be my best meal in South Carolina. I ate so much food, knowing we would be doing test runs of the course shortly after.

We checked in at the civic center and spent some time in the expo buying things. Gotta hand it to the Rev 3 folks, its always so easy and such a pleasure to check-in.

Woo hoo, got a new Rev 3 hoodie! (Ray Bans sold separately.)

Next, we headed over to the swim course for a practice swim. It was on Lake Hartwell, a huge lake that was picture perfect. I threw on my new wetsuit (a TYR Hurricane Cat5) and jumped in. We all swam to the first buoy in kind of like a flying V formation. Brice’s friends Dave and Doug were now with us. The sun was out, we had Waffle House in our bellies, and the water was fantastic. I felt great in the water and the new suit was amazing. The only thing it was missing was an outboard engine.

Did I mention that Brice has a Ford F150 filled with bikes? Ed sat in the back and guarded them on the way to drop them at transition.

Back at the cars, we jumped on our bikes to make sure everything was working properly. We rode a few miles of the course before heading down to Transition to leave the bikes for the night. We then did an easy run to get our legs loosened.

Since we were all starving by now, we made our way to Logan’s Roadhouse for lunch and to watch the Clemson game. Sidenote: Clemson is 5 miles from the Rev 3 course and Jim is an Alumni. I was also following Kona very closely, especially since Coach S was racing! She did very well by the way finishing with a 10:08!

We left Logan’s and hit the local Publix food store to get some gear for the morning. Cafe Bustelo, Oatmeal, bananas, beer, and to-go cups were on the list.

After a quick rest back at the hotel we set out for our ‘pre-race’ meal… pasta! The first place we saw was an Olive Garden to which Ed, Jim and I all exclaimed ‘Noooooo!’ Passing countess steakhouses with names often ending in…’Roadhouse’ we came across a seafood place. Shrimp Scampi? Linguine White Clam Sauce? These were valid ‘pre-race’ meals. We sat down (our silverware wrapped in plastic) and saw that everything was fried! No pasta at all! Back on the road we were coming to the end of the strip, hope seeming to fade. Up ahead was ‘Tony and Charlee’s Southern Italian!’’ Jackpot! As we pulled up there was only one car in the parking lot. Perhaps the chef? Every other restaurant in town had a wait, and this place was empty, sweet!

I was elected to ‘check it out.’ As I entered, I approached the woman at the front desk and asked if they served pasta. She simply pushed a menu my way, as if pasta was some made up food group. The menu consisted of all meat dishes most of them fried. It also had Buffalo Wings! Don’t get me wrong, I love Buffalo Wings, but on an Italian menu I think not mon frere. I simply smiled at her and said, “Can I go check with my friends before sitting?” practically running out the door.

Guess where we ate dinner? Olive Garden and it was good! People were even smoking in the restaurant and I didn’t mind!

Sidenote: I am convinced people in South Carolina don’t like Italian food.

We were back at the hotel and asleep by 10PM.

RACE DAY

I naturally woke up at 5AM (cause I am weird) and queued up the Bustelo, made the guys oatmeal and put on my race numbers. I felt well rested and not nervous at all, ready to set it off.

We arrived at T1 40 minutes before my age group was to start. In T1 I ran into my friend Daniel who moved to Charlotte from NYC this year. We caught up and I introduced him to the fellas. The sun was starting to rise and the race coordinators told us we needed to get to the water.

We watched the Pros go then took our place on the beach. As the gun went off, I let a row of fast swimmers take lead. I jumped into the froth and started digging in, remembering not to overdo it at the start and get all worked up. I have done this enough times that fears of drowning are far from my thoughts. Falling into a nice rhythm and focusing on my form I made my way to the first buoy. I felt very fluid.

Moving at a steady rate, I took notice of the beautiful sunrise happening every 6 strokes. I was really enjoying myself out there and maybe should have had faster arm turnover. Even though I may not be the fastest fish in the pond, I am damn good at sighting and was precise with all my buoy turns. At one point someone was on my feet, which is normal, but this guy started climbing my body. Here I am just mindin’ my own business and this speedster is just gonna swim OVER me when there is plenty of water to swim around? Not on my watch. As his arms started pushing down on the back of my knees I gave a swift ninja kick to his chest. I wasn’t groped for the rest of the swim.

Exiting the water I was full of energy and my legs seemed to be functioning properly. I jumped into T1 (was caught by Ed who was racing the OLY) and made my way onto the bike course. Jim was right behind me and Ed snapped him in ‘speedy transition pose.’ (he was standing still, that’s why its funny.)

My legs were out of whack for like the first 10 miles. My quads were burning something fierce. Fierce! The scenery was nice and I kept wishing for the sun to come out. It did.

Once warmed up I tried to pass as many bikers as I could. By the end of it I would overtake 70 or so, but it was a slow and steady game. This is kind of my M.O. for triathlons since my swimming is slow.

There were so many cows and horses out there on the course. Well, not ‘on’ the course but in the fields around us. I kept imitating the cows (blank puzzled stares on their faces) as I passed them. “Bessy, look at them fellers. I heard about such a thing yars ago… I think theys call ‘em BI sickles.” There were also quiet a few dogs that went bat shit crazy when we rode by.

Somewhere around mile 15-20 I caught up with Daniel. We rode together for awhile before I pressed on. We both noted how windy it was! There were 30 MPH wind gusts all day. At times it felt like you weren’t moving at all.

The last 10 miles were tough. My only goal for this entire race was to ride the bike in under 3 hours so I pushed hard on the ending hills. I started thinking about Abbe and where she was in the Chicago Marathon. It was her first Marathon (and her birthday!) and I was really hoping she was having fun.

By now we were mixed in with the Olympic riders who started a few hours behind us. This helped my legs as I stopped picking people off due to not knowing which race they were in. I came in off the bike at 2:50 and was very happy.

Slapped on my sneaks and bolted out of T2. My legs were Jell-o.

Experience plays such a big role in the triathlon world. I was running 8 minute miles for the first 15 minutes, my legs burning and wonky like baby giraffe, but I knew they were reset any minute. We were running these windy switch backs, runners from both the Olympic and Half Iron all over. I like to have fun out there so I tease the volunteers asking them if I can take short cuts. Most of them, new to triathlons, assured me it was probably a bad idea and I would get in trouble. Agreed.

At mile 4 the Half Iron runners veered off to a new section of course, an out-and-back. It was here that I got my legs in full swing. I was decreasing my pace and would end up holding a steady 7 minute mile for this portion of the run. I felt good all of a sudden. I started picking off runners one at a time. We were running down a highway for this section and t was pretty dull. As mile 7 passed I kept wondering, “Where the hell is the turn around?” It soon came just past mile 8. My stomach took a turn for the worse right about now as well. I have never had stomach issues in any race. I eat burritos during marathons for god’s sake, so why now is it freaking out? Was I pregnant?

Looking back, I think I may have had way too much ‘course Gatorade.‘ As mile 10 approached I pulled over, sacrificing my pace, and started slamming water. As I walked forward, the sharp pain in my stomach slowly dissipating, I jogged. Slowly my pace picked up. Soon I was facing runners coming the other way, a few of them screaming, “Where is the turn around?” at me. I feel your pain. Then, I see Jim coming down the highway and he runs into my lane and gives me a high five while yelling, “Rocket Fuel!” This gave me a huge burst of energy and I sped forward. The last few miles would be sub7.

Sidenote: At the Fire Island Hotel they make a drink called Rocket Fuel. It’s a pina colada topped with 151. We love them, especially Jim.

At mile 11 the Halfers get mixed back in with the Oly runners. Up ahead I was like, “Is that Ed?” I yelled out to him, “Ed! You better hustle!” He laughed and turned giving me a slap on the arm, “Go Bakes!”

After a few more twists and turns I crossed the finish. My final time was 5:12, a 13 minute PR.

Sex/ Age	Age Place	Overall Place	Swim 1.2M	T1	Bike 56M	T2	Run 13.1M	Total Time
M33	9	94	43:51	2:46	2:49:33	1:34	1:35:14	5:12:58

I waited for Ed to cross, then he and I waited for Jim and then Brice. We were all successful in our own races, celebrating with a delicious ice cold beer in the warm sun.

That night we all celebrated with a big dinner followed quickly by bedtime. The next morning Jim, Ed, and I set off on our 13 hour drive back up to NYC. (we had breakfast at Waffle House again it was awesome again!)

—

Am I ready for my first full Ironman? Yes. (Coach S still has me on a steady training regimen.) Is it going to hurt? Yes.

RACE REPORT: 039 Rev3 Quassy Half Ironman

Posted on June 10, 2010 by admin

Posted in All, Race Reports, Triathlon 8 Comments

Sex/ Age	Age Place	Overall Place	Swim 1.2M	T1	Bike 56M	T2	Run 13.1M	Total Time
M32	26	133	45:26	2:18	2:55:16	1:39	1:39:56	5:24:36

Swim. Bike. Run. Seems easy enough right?

My first triathlon of 2010 (second triathlon ever) was the Rev3 Quassy Half Ironman in Connecticut this past weekend.

As far as training went, my philosophy has always been to just do as much of the 3 disciplines as possible. I really hate regimented workouts as it takes the enjoyment out of it for me. Mentally, I tell myself ‘Okay, you need to do a speed run this week, 4 bike rides, a swim and maybe a distance run.’ but nothing is written out. I also like to sign up for a ton of races which keeps me on my toes and can be considered ‘training’.

Jim from “Dad Posse” had us sign up for this race months ago when I wasn’t even sure I could handle such a distance. Sometimes you just need a little push, you know. It takes place in Connecticut just west of Hartford, in some beautiful countryside.

Saturday morning I went on a quick bike ride, then proceeded to make 4 ‘Race Burritos’. SIDENOTE: Erika thinks I should market them, so this is the name I will be using for now. I also prepared some shrimp scampi to take with me for Saturday night’s dinner in the hotel. I didn’t want to go out and as all of us racers know… we have our rituals and this is one of mine. I packed all of the goodies up in a big blue cooler. It’s funny, when I was at the grocery store buying the cooler the gal at the register was like “Alright! Looks like a BBQ and some Sunday beers!” Not quite… try ‘first aid kit’ or ‘survival kit’. Evidently, her 5 year old son also likes to run.

It’s also very hard packing for a triathlon. So many components that I ALMOST forgot my running shoes! What a disaster that would be. I guess I could have experimented with barefoot running right?

Jim showed up at 2:30 to drop off his wheels. He had to bail on the race last minute but was kind enough to let me borrow his car. Thanks Jim! I took off, headed into the northern territories.

I arrived at 4:30 and headed over to race check-in. It was very organized. While dropping off my bike into transition for the night I ran into Bill, a fellow NYC Triathlete and runner! He was right across from me in transition.

SIDENOTE: This was a high caliber, therefore all the Pros came out. What does this mean? Remember, this is my first Half Ironman so I was already nervous, now enter people like Matty Reed (last year’s winner) who is like 6 ‘5 and has the sickest bike.

Back at the hotel I mixed up my water bottles with half Red Bull-half Gatorade. It looked a little bit like a mad scientist’s laboratory. I ate my shrimp scampi while watching some bad hotel TV and was asleep by 10PM.

RACE DAY

I had the strangest dream. I had woken up and went to the race and was and hour or two late. I was very upset and the race director was like, “you can go ahead and start with a 2 hour deficit if you like?” Right. I was freaking out and just then my REAL alarm went of. It was 5AM in reality and I was right on schedule. Drank a cup of coffee, had a banana and some granola and I was off.

Arriving at transition at 6AM (it closes at 6:30) I quickly set up. I made friends with these two fellas across from me who saw me taping 2 burritos to the top tube of my bike. “Hey man, what’s that, a PB&J?” “Nope, those are rice and bean burritos!” They laughed and upon hearing about how I had already tested this fuel in an Ultra and a Marathon they were firm believers.

Notice me contemplating where to tape my second burrito…

After laying out my bike and run gear I grabbed my wetsuit and headed down to the beach to get ready.

Wetsuit on, I waded into the lake to get acclimated. It was then that Gallacher came over and introduced himself. He is a good friend of Jim’s I had been communicating with on email. We had a few laughs and watched the Pro’s line up. Craig Alexander was among them who took Ironman Kona last year. He is basically a beast and would end up winning it. After the male Pro’s took off into the water there was a 3 minute gap, then the female Pro’s entered. My heart almost stopped when Natascha Badmann was 5 feet from me! She is a personal idol of mine and I never thought I would be IN the same race as her! Kinda felt like I was right where I was supposed to be in life… The women were off and then it was time for my age group to line up.

Before we get underway with race details first lets clarify some things for anyone not familiar with Triathlons.

Generally speaking there are 4 triathlon distances, Sprint, Olympic, Half Ironman and Ironman. They always go in the swim, bike, run order. Today’s race was a Half Ironman distance, my furthest and most challenging race to date, even harder than my Ultra. I think this has to do with the fact that your entire body is in pain because you use all muscle groups.

Swim: 1.2 Miles
Bike: 56 Miles
Run: 13.1 Miles

A battle.

We lined up and within the 3 minutes the gun went off!!!

It was chaos. I was trying to stay in the lead but seriously, its like a piranha attack (I have never been attacked by piranhas). As space opened a little, I got my life in order and was steadily swimming, sighting every third stroke. I’m not the best swimmer due to my lack of speed. It’s really bizarre as I don’t get tired, I just can’t move quickly through the water. This race is maybe a sign that I should take a master’s swim class.

It was a beautiful swim through a crystal clear lake, very different from the choppy and toxic Hudson River swim from the following weekend. I could feel 2 different waves of swimmers pass me, which was frustrating, but I just kept telling myself to finish, I will chase them down later.

Cruising up onto the beach 43 minutes later I ran into transition, ripping off my wetsuit. I made the good choice to throw on some socks before putting on bike shoes. A choice that may have cost me 30 seconds, but in the end I avoided some serious blisters.

Hopping onto Andraste (my Cervelo P2) I quickly got into rhythm. Immediately, I ripped open one of my ‘Race Burritos’ and began having breakfast… ‘Breakfast Race Burritos’? I like the sound of that.

In the beginning to middle of the bike portion of the race, I was playing leapfrog with this one gal who was part of the Trakkers Team. She had this really cool bike made by Isaac? I have never heard of this brand, perhaps custom? She was a really amazing biker and in the second half of the course she blasted past me and I never caught up. Props!

What gorgeous scenery. I caught myself gazing off across the rolling hills a few times before snapping out of it going “Baker, Hello! This is a race, not a nature show.” As many people have reported, this was an extremely difficult bike course. Hills, hills and more hills. Just when your legs were recovering and you were settling into a rhythm, around the bend comes another behemoth of an uphill battle. It was kind of funny in the beginning… but my humor had faded by Mile 40.

At one point while riding by a few guys, one of them yelled… “Hey man! IS THAT A BURRITO?!” I smiled and said of course it is, duh. He yelled back “Can I trade you a Lemon Gu for your burrito?” No way man, that was my lunch and high noon was fast approaching. I did however, let him know that I had an extra one back in transition he could have.

Never have I wanted to get off a bike and run more than I did at this point. Please, anything to use a different muscle group!

Throughout the entire bike course there were constant ‘bomb drop’ descents where we might have been going 50 MPH spinning out our top gears! It was insane! The best description I could think of was that of a roller coaster… the feeling right as you start to go down the first drop, in the pit of your stomach, where you are teetering between ‘This rocks!’ and ‘Am I going to die?’ SIDENOTE: When tucked into Aero position on a TT Bike the brakes are on the outside handlebars. Try going for those while bulleting down a monster hill.

The plan was to eat my second ‘Race Burrito’ during the last 10 miles of the bike in order to have a solid block of energy for the run. Why the last 10 miles you ask? During the (dirty) Jersey Marathon I learned an important lesson with my burritos. They process into energy 5 running miles, or 30 minutes, after consumption.

As soon as mile 46 hit you better believe I was hungry and I wolfed it down. My next invention is going to be ‘Race side-order of Guacamole.’

SIDENOTE: My joke the second half of the ride was, upon passing another rider who looked friendly and not too crabby, say “Hey! Someone told me we have to run a Half Marathon after this! Is that true?!” It normally got a few laughs.

Cruising into T2 I hopped off the bike and booked it over to my slot, racking my bike and tossing my helmet aside. I quickly donned my racing flats and put on my Nautical Star wristband, then bolted for the run course. It was a sharp left turn out of T2 and I was going too fast without my legs properly adjusted to walking again, almost flying over the side rails!

Miles 1 and 2 were downhill, and we were going against the flow of the bike riders coming off their last few miles. Gallacher passed me and yelled “Go Baker go!” It was right around this point that the sun made an appearance for the rest of the race, increasing the temperature to boiling!

Turing sharp right into Miles 3 and 4 we were confronted with a brutal series of gravel uphills! It was very hard on the calves and yet… very peaceful and quiet running in the woods.

Miles 5 and 6 took us down a neighborhood road to a turn-around and then back out onto the main roads. It was here that my energy soared and all pain from the bike had subsided. I’m not sure if I picked up my pace, but my spirits certainly spiked and I was running with a smile.

I have never really spent a lot of time in Connecticut, but I had my preconceived notions. Today altered my perceptions forever, in a positive light. I grew up in the suburbs of DC, Virginia to be exact, and if you went 20 miles due west you hit horse country. Miles 7-9 felt like I was back home! It was very rustic, with man-made rock walls, huge oak trees and elegantly designed farm houses. The only difference is that Virginia has this thick, musky, floral vibe to it and up here in the North the air was a little lighter. Whatever, it’s my story, I can talk about smells.

The last few miles were hard, but the thought of being done with this mayhem was what kept me going. The final mile was a gradual uphill through the woods.

A strange thing happened at this moment. I was by myself just trucking along when out of nowhere this huge monarch butterfly started flying alongside of me! It was to my right, pacing me, fluttering up and down right around chest level. It stayed with me for 100 feet before veering of into the forest.

Rounding the final turn into the ‘Finish Chute’ I sprinted. It may have looked like demons were chasing me, and yet, I was smiling.

Crossing the finish line at a high speed and then slamming on the brakes is a funny feeling. Think… Millennium Falcon coming out of light-speed… everything slows back down and your brain catches up to your body.

Time: 5:24:36 (Real Time clock pictured is incorrect based on our wave starts)

This Stats chart shows just how bad I did on the swim and how much ‘catching up’ I had to do. (I love statistical data!)

I got my finisher medal, then went for some snacks. I wasn’t thirsty or hungry as I had been very efficient in fuel intake the whole race! One thing I did do (as I looked around at everyone else who finished and took their lead) was remove my sneakers and socks to walk barefoot on the grass. It felt SO good.

I had finished right on time to see the Pro’s get their awards. They announced the women first and Natascha Badmann had came in 7th place. It’s so surreal being so close to the athletes you admire. Craig Alexander won the men’s race and even set a new course record. Nice work Craig!

Knowing that I would be fading in the next few hours, I hightailed it out of there and headed back to New York City.

SIDENOTE: I left my Garmin on the entire time I drove back to NYC… there goes THAT statistical data! Rookie move.

Driving down the Interstate with the windows down, sun pouring in and the Who’s ‘Teenage Wasteland’ blasting I put on a huge smile and thought simply, “Hell yeah.”